In March, the preëminent New York-based early music ensemble TENET will present the third of its three-year TENEbrae series, performing the final set of motets written by the 16th-century Italian composer Carlo Gesualdo for Holy Week, the Tenebrae Responsories for Holy Saturday. Under the guest direction of organist Eric Dudley, performances take place on March 12 in New York City’s Good Shepard-Faith Presbyterian Church, as well as March 14 in Palm Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, and March 15 in St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Savannah, Georgia.

TENET began its TENEbrae series in 2013 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Carlo Gesualdo's death. As with the ensemble’s performances of the composer’s harmonically adventurous Tenebrae Responsories for Maundy Thursday, and last year’s Tenebrae Responsories for Good Friday, TENET’s six singers will perform the music one voice to a part, conveying a concentrated clarity of sound that emphasizes the composer’s intense harmonic language. Mirroring a common 17th century practice, groups of the motets will be interspersed with improvisations on chamber organ.

Jolle Greenleaf, Artistic Director of TENET remarks, “For the past three years, TENET has been on a musical journey to explore the rich harmonic tapestry inherent in Gesualdo’s Tenebrae Responsories, and it has been a remarkable experience. We look forward to exploring the final collection in this series and sharing it with our audience, many of whom have taken this journey with us.”

Now in its sixth season under artistic director Jolle Greenleaf, TENET has won acclaim for its innovative programming, virtuosic singing and command of repertoire that spans the Middle Ages to the present. TENET is renowned for its annual Green Mountain Project which this year featured Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 and a newly-constructed Vespers for the Blessed Virgin Mary with music by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, performances that were praised by The New York Times for their “beautifully focused singing.”

TENET’s most recent performance featured works by 17th-century Italian female composers Francesca Caccini and Barbara Strozzi, “The highlight of this season’s Grand Tour” series at the Metropolitan Museum (The New Yorker). The program will be expanded upon for the finale of TENET’s 2014-15 season, The Secret Lover.

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For further information, image or interview requests please contact Melanne Mueller, MusicCo International, 917 907 2785, melanne@musiccointernational.com

For further information about TENET please visit www.tenetnyc.com

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

TENEbrae 2015
Carlo Gesualdo (1566 – 1613) Tenebrae Responsories for Holy Saturday
TENET
Jolle Greenleaf soprano / Luthien Brackett alto / Owen McIntosh, Donald Meinike tenors / Thomas McCargar baritone / Jonathan Woody bass / Eric Dudley organ, guest director

March 12, 2015 – 7:00 pm
Good Shepard-Faith Presbyterian Church
152 West 66th Street
New York, New York 10023

March 14, 2015 – 7:30 pm
Palms Presbyterian Church
3410 3rd Street South
Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32250

March 15, 2015 – 3:00 pm
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
3 West Ridge Road
Savannah, Georgia 31411